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  | PASCAL VON WROBLEWSKY ~ SWINGING POOL
EDEL CONTENT 4029759080503 (Barcode: 4029759080503) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Funk Fusion
Recorded: 1986 Released: 2012
This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the excellent album by the East German vocalist Pascal von WroblewskyFind albums by this artist, recorded with a large ensemble comprising of the top Jazz players active at the time, conducted by keyboardist / arranger / composer Reinhard WalterFind albums by this artist. She performs nine songs, eight of which are standards and one is an original composed by Walter.
Wroblewski has a wonderful strong and soulful voice and the choice of the material and the superb arrangements combined created a first class Jazz-Rock / Soul-Jazz / Funk album, which is as good as anything recorded on the other side of the Iron Curtain at the time. Even her English language pronunciation and accent are almost perfect.
Most listeners to this album in a blindfold test situation would bet their life that the vocalist is of Afro-American ancestry, which of course is a great compliment. But Wroblewsky is not an imitator and her vocal style has mannerism of her own, which makes it completely unique. She also sings scat and vocalese as skillfully as she sings lyrics.
In short this is a wonderful forgotten gem, which sound as good today as it did at the time of its release. The great vocals and superb instrumental parts are simply spotless and fans of Soul-Jazz should find this stuff irresistible.
Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the AmigaFind albums on this label label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems.
Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!
| | Updated: 06/06/2016Posted: 06/06/2016 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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